TOILE DE JOUY

A brief history of Toile de Jouy

Toile de Jouy was created by Christophe-Philippe Oberkampf. Born 11 June 1738 in Germany, Oberkampf came to Paris in 1758 to work as an engraver and colourist in textile printing. He rapidly rose to business partner, moved the factory to Jouy where the first length of cotton was printed on 1 May 1760. In 1770, Oberkampf became a French citizen. In 1783, his factory received the title of “Manufacture Royale”.  By the end of the Ancien Régime, the business was second largest in France behind the Gobelins.

During the events of 1789, Oberkampf proved himself a man of political ideals. He was elected the first mayor of Jouy-en-Josas in 1790.

By 1805, the factory was employing 1,322 workers as the Toile de Jouy enjoyed great success. In 1806, he won a First Class Gold Medal for his pioneering role in the manufacture of printed textiles in France. The same year, he received the Légion d’Honneur awarded by Napoléon himself on a visit to the factory. In 1810, he obtained the Grand Prize of the decade for his achievement in science and art. He was a benevolent and generous spirit, commanding great loyalty and trust from his employees. He ran the factory until his death in 1815. By 1818, the business produced 1.5 million metres of fabric. The factory closed in 1843.

Original Toiles de Jouy were monochrome prints on white cotton cloth. In the early days artists engraved wooden blocks. They later came to copper plates or rollers. There were two types of prints: florals for fashion and human figures for soft furnishing. The latest became the better known for Toile de Jouy as they survived longer than clothes made with floral prints. Exotic inspired prints like Indian or Greek came and went. Toile de Jouy is better known for allegorical subjects depicting romantic encounters, cherubs, bucolic or exotic landscapes.

For most of the 20^th century Toile de Jouy was considered old fashioned and thought to belong to stuffy Bourgeois interiors. The vogue for shabby chic and French interiors means that Toile de Jouy is now enjoying a revival in our homes and our closets. It is seen as quirky when mixed with other styles in modern settings. At last it can be appreciated for its beautiful classical designs alone without the stigma of belonging to upper class interiors.

For more information and stunning illustrations, read Toile De Jouy – Printed textiles in the classic French style by Melanie Riffel, Sophie Rouart, Marc Walter. Published by Thames & Hudson.